Adding to his West Coast Conference Player of the Year award, Hachimura was named District IX Player of the Year by the U.S Basketball Writers Association which votes on awards for each of the nine geographic districts in the United States.

The 21-year-old was chosen as the top player from schools within the district including California, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Arizona and Arkansas.

Despite ending their 21-game winning streak in their conference tournament final, the Gonzaga Bulldogs still earned the West Region's number one seed of the NCAA Championships which officially started on March 19th. Hachimura and Gonzaga will begin their tournament run on March 21st.

Rui Hachimura in action for the Gonzaga BulldogsRui Hachimura in action for the Gonzaga Bulldogs

Standing out

Born in Japan to a Beninese father and Japanese mother, Hachimura immediately stood out in such an ethnically homogeneous society.

His first sporting love was baseball, in a country famous for nurturing many professional players.

By his mid-teens Hachimura was already a giant among his peers, and it wasn't long before he found his way to the basketball court.

“One of my old teammates, he was in the same class and he wanted me to play basketball,” the Toyama native told Sporting News.

“He was always asking me to come, to play, and I finally decided to go.”

Fast-forward to his sophomore year and Hachimura was representing Japan at the 2014 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup in Dubai: The country's first and only appearance at the event.

Not bad for a kid that first picked up a basketball just seven years ago.

'Rui-mania' gripping Japan

If Hachimura's name is called out in the 2019 NBA draft, he will make history as the first Japanese player to be drafted.

But even as the main man in America's No. 1-ranked side, the attention he will receive in the States pales comparison to what happens in Japan.

While football, baseball and martial arts are the most followed sports in Japan, Hachimura enjoys almost rock-star status back home.

The term 'Rui-mania' was even coined in response to the legions of autograph and selfie-seekers that seek him out.

They follow his every move on court though the hordes of Japanese media that descend upon his games in Washington.

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Up for an Olympic test

With the Tokyo 2020 Olympics on the horizon, it is expected that the young giant will spearhead his nation's challenge at the showpiece event.

But despite the pressure of playing against the world's best players in front of and expectant home crowd, Hachimura seemed excited - rather then daunted - at the challenge.

“It’s gonna be a big opportunity for us to show how well we can play against other countries,” Hachimura told Sporting News. “It’s going to be so fun to play in front of my family and all the Japanese people I know.”

But for now, his focus will be on the NBA Draft and whether he can usher in a new dawn for Japanese basketball players.